Matt Johnson (top) is Tartuffe for CSF; Corinne Mohlenhoff (Right), Nick Rose (front) and Anne E. Schilling (left) play a family he dupes in Moliere's classic comedy.

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (CSF) has had its challenges this year, what with having to revamp the second half of its season at the beginning of 2003. As hard as they've worked, they didn't have it quite so tough as poor Molière, whose TARTUFFE is the next offering at 719 Race St.

When Tartuffe was first staged in 1664 a powerful group of bluenoses didn't like the fact that it made fun of them and their ways -- the play's subtitle was "The Hypocrite." They succeeded in banning it and having Molière censured -- not unlike the blackballing of writers during the Communist scare in the United States in the 1950s. Molière, also an actor, director and producer, wasn't easily set aside, however: He tried again in August 1667.

He wrote, "As the duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them, I believed that in my occupation I could do nothing better than attack the vices of my age by making them ridiculous ... (so) I wrote a comedy which denounced hypocrites and placed in proper view all of the contrived poses of these incredibly virtuous men, all of the concealed villainies of these counterfeit believers who would trap others with a fraudulent piety and a pretended virtue."

This time out his opposition included the president of the French parliament, who brought in the police to stop the play. (Does this sound familiar?) King Louis, who liked Molière's work, was off fighting a war, so it was stalled again. Finally in 1669 the show was staged with the king's support and no more incident.

For CSF, manic newcomer Matt Johnson will play the wily opportunist and swindler who moves in with a foolish rich man, Orgon (played by CSF Artistic Director Nick Rose) and his family, including two popular former CSF actresses, Corinne Mohlenhoff as his wife and Anne E. Schilling as his mother. Actor Brian Isaac Phillips is playing the role of director for this satirical look at opportunists who adopt religion as a cover for double-dealing. By the way, CSF is using Richard Wilbur's wonderful rhyming translation, which makes the silliness all the more fun. 513-381-2273. (See Onstage.) -- RICK PENDER

Friday 25
Don't ask design guru ART CHANTRY about computers. His is a career of printmaking, typesetting and graphic designing from way back -- we're talking the 1980s, man -- in the age of Atari, before Bill Gates' Internet Revolution. Chantry, who still works with little, if any, digital technology, makes a special appearance and presentation Friday at the Cincinnati Art Museum Auditorium, courtesy of the Art Academy of Cincinnati and the local chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), to re-introduce simpler ways of working. Or maybe it's a rant about the age of technology. 513-721-ARTS. (See Art.) -- JESSICA TURNER

Saturday 26
The Ohio River is coming back to life. (Hmmm.) Every Wednesday after work we'll be Partying in the Park -- or at Sawyer Point. And here's a new option: On Saturday you can walk on the Newport Southgate Bridge, aka the L&N; Bridge, now dubbed the PURPLE PEOPLE BRIDGE, connecting Newport on the Levee to Sawyer Point. Friday night is a fund-raiser to aid the Purple Bridge Maintenance Fund. After a morning of hot air balloons, foot and bike races and a parade, you can celebrate the interstate connection with a free afternoon of classic cars, arts and crafts, magicians and music. 859-655-7700. (See Events.) -- RICK PENDER

Saturday 26
PHILIP GLASS is one bad mofo of a composer. Known for his work on such films as The Thin Blue Line, Kundun and, most recently, The Hours, his subtle yet highly affecting soundscapes can cause even the most hardened of emotive cynics to feel something (ya listening, Rumsfeld?). Why should you particularly care? Well, the COLLEGE-CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC at UC is bringing Glass to town Saturday for the regional premiere of his Symphony No. 5. The evening gets underway at 7 p.m., when Glass talks about his distinctive career as a master sound sculptor during a pre-concert discussion, followed by the performance at 8 p.m. 513-556-9988. (See Onstage.) -- JASON GARGANO

Sunday 27
Spring is a notorious wasteland for movie-going, a post-Oscar/pre-summer dumping ground, as a glance at the current box-office top 10 will attest. Come on, people -- Adam Sandler again? Of course, box-office success has never been a barometer of relevance, creative or otherwise. With that in mind, here's a film alternative that's sure to be Sandler-free (we think): UNDERNEATH CINCINNATI is back with its quarterly ode to area film and video artists at SSNOVA. And, as if the experience of the films wasn't enough, Underneath now encourages viewers to vote for their favorite of Sunday's features to be shown as part of the Best of Underneath Film Festival later this year. 8 p.m. $5 donation requested. 513-251-6060. (See Events.) -- JASON GARGANO

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